Restoring Danbury-Pittsfield Rail Line Makes Sense

EDITORIAL

By the end of the 19th century, Connecticut was crisscrossed with railroad lines, including a half-dozen major north-south routes. Most of these died off by the mid-20th century, as much of the freight and most of the passenger traffic moved to the new network of roads and highways. But with major highways badly congested and the vehicles a major source of greenhouse gases, there is growing interest in reviving some of these lines.

The Hartford-New Haven-Springfield line is in the midst of a major upgrade that will bring commuter rail to the state's central north-south corridor by 2016. There is interest in adding service to the lines that run from New London to points in Massachusetts. Most recently, as The Courant's Don Stacom has reported, activists here and in Massachusetts, part of the Berkshire Train Campaign, are pushing to restore rail passenger service from Pittsfield, Mass., to Danbury, with connections to New York City.

The idea is that the Housatonic Railroad, which is based in Canaan, Conn., and runs freight on the line, would upgrade the tracks and run perhaps eight passenger trains a day. Supporters like it for the same reason everyone from Hartford west wants better service: They believe faster connections to New York will mean economic development. The Berkshires have long been a favorite weekend getaway for New Yorkers.

The estimated cost of restoring the track is $200 million. Massachusetts made a major commitment of $47 million to the project last month — $12.1 million to buy its 37-mile section of the line and $35 million for initial track improvements. This winter, the supporters will step up their lobbying of Connecticut legislators for money to improve the 50 miles of track on the Connecticut side of the border. Part of the line is owned by the railroad and part by the state.

Although the project has its detractors — and what transit project doesn't? — it's not at all implausible. Indeed, it is a good idea. There's existing rail line and an operator in place, and the numbers aren't exorbitant. Even though Connecticut's rail priority has to be upgrading the main Metro-North system, there may be a way to get this done as well.

However accomplished, the state needs a more balanced transportation system. We need to move more people using less energy. Restoring rail lines where possible, or turning them into busways or bike trails, is going to help.